Monty aims to play until 2015 to keep major dream alive

COLIN Montgomerie has expressed his intention to continue playing for at least another seven years to keep alive his hopes of winning a first major title.

The 45-year-old has come close on a number of occasions to breaking his major duck, finishing second five times, and blew possibly his best chance of capturing one of golf's top prizes when he double-bogeyed the last hole in the US Open in 2006 to finish as runner-up to Geoff Ogilvy by one shot. Title success has, however, so far proved elusive.

Form is currently not on Montgomerie's side with the Scot having failed to finish inside the top 20 in his last ten tournaments and he has dropped to 118th in the world rankings. His slump also saw him fail to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team in Valhalla in September, the first time he had failed to make the side since his debut in 1991.

However, Montgomerie is now determined to reverse that decline and improve his world ranking position this season, with the main aim being to break back into the top 50.

This weekend the eight-time Order of Merit winner is looking to win a tournament for the first time since he claimed the European Open title in July 2007 when he makes his reappearance at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

"I'm outside the top 100 in the world for the first time ever," said Montgomerie. "I've got to get back inside that top 100 in a hurry and then back inside the top 50 to compete on the world stage again.

"I'm exempt through to 2015 on this tour, and I would intend to be playing golf until that stage.

"If I can get back in that top 50 and remain there for the next six years, I will be very happy."

Montgomerie will be returning to what has been a happy hunting ground when he tees off in Hong Kong, having previously won the tournament in 2005 and he admits it is an event he enjoys.

"I like the golf course," he said. "I'm not the longest hitter on tour and, while I never was, I have control, and this is a course where you need control more than you need length or power. I prefer this type of golf nowadays.

"I like the Hong Kong Golf Club and I love the city. My wife is here with me and we're having a great time."

Montgomerie will be joined in the Hong Kong field by the man who snubbed him for this year's Ryder Cup, Nick Faldo, along with Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Paul Lawrie and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is bidding for his third victory in the tournament having also previously claimed the title in 2004.

FALDO WANTS ANOTHER SHOT AS RYDER CUP CAPTAIN, PAGE 59